Improved port-closer for vessels of war



- lUNTTnn STATES aTnNT TirionO WILLIAM STUART AUGHINCLOSS, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

IMPROVED PORT-CLOSER FOR VESSELSOF WAR.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent NO. Llo, dated December 15, 1863.

To @ZZ whom it may concern.-

Beit known that I, WILLIAM S. AUcHIN- GLOSS, of the city, county, and State of New York, have.invented a new and useful Improvement in Port-Closers; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making a part of this specification, in which- Figure 1 represents an inside view of my invention, the port being closed. Fig. 2 is a transverse vertical section of the same, the plane of section being indicated by the hne x x, Fig. 1. Figs. 3 and et are horizontal sections of the same, both taken in the plane indicated by the line y y, Fig. 1, and showing -the port-closers in different posit-ions.

Similar letters of reference indicate correspending parts in the several iigures.

Ihe essential features of a good port-closer are that the same, whether open or closed, ot'- fers a perfectly firm and solid resistance to hostile shot or shell which may be thrown against it; that it is not liable to be carried away by such shot or shell or by any other accident; that it closes iirmly and perfectly water-tight, and that when open it allows of elevating the gun to any desired angle or of training it to an angle of forty-tive degrees or more with thevbeam. All these advantages are combined in my portcloser, the construction of which will be readity understood from the following description.

.A A represent two cylinders or rollers, of iron or any other suitable material, and provided with gudgeons a., on which they may be freely rotated in either direction. Each of the rollers A is hollowed out on one side, so as to form a cavity, I), and each is provided with a nose, c, whereby a iiat surface is produced. It' the two rollers are brought in such a position that their tlat surfaces come in contact with each other, the port is closed, and if they are turned so that their cavities face each other the port is opened. The gudgeons a of the rollers A have their bearings in plates B, inserted firmly into the side of the vessel above and below the port. The bearings may either be formed partly by semicir cular cavities made in the plates B and partly by keys C, so that each roller can be introduced from the outside and secured in its place by the key; or the lower plate may be made with holes to receive the gudgeonsand in this case cach roller has to be introduced in an inclined position until its lower gudgeon catches in the corresponding hole in the lower plate, and the upper gudgeon has to be secured by a key, or in any other desirable manner. I do not wish to confine myself, however, to any particular method of inserting the rollers, as this operation may be accomplished in various different ways. The plates B are provided with semicircular flanges E close on the inside ofthe rollers A A, and the gudgeons are made to tit loosely in their sockets, so that in case one of the rollers is struck by shot or shell the gudgeons are relieved, and the iian ges sustain the entire strain. These flanges may either be forged solid with the plates, or they may be secured to the same in any other suitable manner, or when the vessel is armor-plated said flanges may be formed by an extension ofthe armor-plates adjacent to the port. The rollers are turned on their gudgeons by means of bars D, which may be permanently inserted in the same or so arranged that they can be readily inserted into suitable holes or be rotated by any other suitable means.

In turning the rollers to the position shown in Fig. 3, an opening is formed large enough to admit the muzzle of the gun and high enough to allow of giving to said gun any de sired elevation. rIhe rollers may, however, be turned in an oblique position, as shown in Fig. 4, and the opening formed by the cavities b still remains large enough to admit the muzzle of the gun. By this peculiar feature of my portcloser I ain enabled to sweep an arc of ninety degrees or more with each gun. It is obvious that in order to eiiect this pur pose the gun will have to be so arranged that it can be readily brought in an angular position and still be in line with the port. In order to accomplish this purpose when using a pivot-gun, I intend place its iighting-bolt under or near the centerline of the port-hole.

For the purpose of closing the port perfectly water-tight, india-rubber or other packing may be inserted in the rollers at suitable places.

In training, the gun may be run out, and by hauling on thc train-tackle the gun will act as a, lever, adjusting the rollers to the desired ing the same to an angle of forty-dye degrees position. or more, substantially as set forth.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure 2. The combination of the flanges E with by Letters Patent, isthe rollers A A, constructed and operating l. The employment or use, for a port-hole substantially as and for the purpose herein closer, of two rollers, A A, each being mede shown and described. to rotate independently ofthe other, and proy vided with e edvity, b, de described, se met WILLIAM STUART AUCHINCLOSS' by turning the rollers to the proper position VIUQSSGS: an opening is obtained which allows of giving Trios. S. J. DOUGLAS, to the gun any desired elevation, or of train- Y GEO. W. REED. 

